Viterbi School of Engineering

Biomedical Engineering

Degree Requirements

Undergraduate Program Educational Objectives

Graduates of the undergraduate program in Biomedical Engineering are expected to attain the following objectives within a few years after graduation:

be engaged in a professional career in the biomedical or other related industries, or enrolled in advanced graduate studies including medical school;

work in a technically competent manner to address challenges in engineering or their chosen profession, taking into consideration ethical and societal concerns;

collaborate within their profession across technical disciplines;

develop their technical knowledge and professional skills further by being active in professional societies, continuing their formal education, or attending professional workshops, meetings and seminars.

Undergraduate Program Criteria

The program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering provides both breadth and depth across the range of engineering topics implied by the title. The program prepares graduates to have an understanding of biology and physiology; and the capability to apply advanced mathematics (including differential equations and statistics), science and engineering to solve the problems at the interface of engineering and biology. The curriculum prepares graduates with the ability to make measurements on and interpret data from living systems, addressing the problems associated with the interaction between living and non-living materials and systems.

Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering

The Department of Biomedical Engineering offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering. Additionally, there are three possible areas of emphasis within this biomedical engineering program major. These are biochemical engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. An area of emphasis appears in a special field on the transcript. The requirement for the degree is 128 units. A cumulative grade point average of C (2.0) is required in all upper division courses applied toward the major, regardless of the department in which the courses are taken.

+The university allows engineering majors to replace the GE Category IV with a second course in Categories I, II or VI.

Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering
Emphasis in Biochemical Engineering

The requirement for the degree with an emphasis in biochemical engineering is 132 units. A cumulative grade point average of C (2.0) is required in all upper division courses applied towards the major, regardless of the department in which the courses are taken. See General Education and additional common requirements for undergraduate degrees.

+The university allows engineering majors to replace the GE Category IV with a second course in Categories I, II or VI.

Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering
Emphasis in Electrical Engineering

The requirement for the degree with an emphasis in electrical engineering is 133 units. A cumulative grade point average of C (2.0) is required in all upper division courses applied towards the major, regardless of the department in which the courses are taken. See common requirements for undergraduate degrees.

+The university allows engineering majors to replace the GE Category IV with a second course in Categories I, II or VI.

Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering
Emphasis in Mechanical Engineering

The requirement for the degree with an emphasis in mechanical engineering is 132 units. A cumulative grade point average of C (2.0) is required in all upper division courses applied towards the major, regardless of the department in which the courses are taken. See common requirements for undergraduate degrees.

Minor in Craniofacial and Dental Technology

Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering

The Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering is awarded in strict conformity with the general requirements of the Viterbi School of Engineering. At least 28 approved units must be satisfactorily completed, of which at least 19 units must be at the 500 level or above. Four of these units may be thesis BME 594abz.

The master’s degree program provides students with a broad background, linking physiology with engineering science, necessary for entering interdisciplinary careers in medical technology or pursuing further graduate studies in a related field.

Required courses

Units

BME 501

Advanced Topics in Biomedical Systems

4

BME 502

Advanced Studies of the Nervous System

4

BME 511

Physiological Control Systems

3

BME 513*

Signal and Systems Analysis

3

BME 533

Seminar in Bioengineering

1

BME 594abz

Master’s Thesis (2-2-0), or Technical Elective (4)

4

Electives

Technical

9

28

*Students who have taken an advanced undergraduate or master’s level course in system and signal analysis may substitute BME 523 for BME 513 with departmental approval.

Completion of the Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering (Medical Imaging and Imaging Informatics) requires that at least 28 approved units must be satisfactorily completed of which at least 19 units must be at the 500 level or above.

Required courses

Units

BME 501

Advanced Topics in Biomedical Systems

4

BME 513

Signal and Systems Analysis

3

BME 525

Advanced Biomedical Imaging

3

BME 527

Integration of Medical Imaging Systems

3

BME 528

Medical Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Informatics Application

3

BME 535

Ultrasonic Imaging

3

EE 569

Introduction to Digital Image Processing

3

Electives

Technical

6

28

Master of Science in Medical Device and Diagnostic Engineering

This program is designed to provide the knowledge and skills needed for the development of medical devices and diagnostic techniques, including aspects of medical product regulation and product development. The course of study requires successful completion of 28 units of course work and has been designed to be completed in three semesters of full-time study. Students in the program will complete a 19-unit core as well as selecting a 6-unit specialization (or “track”) and one elective from a list provided by the department.

Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering

The objective of the Doctor of Philosophy is to produce independent investigators who can make original scholarly contributions and apply advanced engineering concepts and techniques to the understanding and solution of biomedical problems. This program is intended to prepare the student for a career in academic research and teaching, or as an independent investigator in industrial or government laboratories.

The requirements listed are special to this department and must be read in conjunction with the general requirements of the Graduate School.

This program is designed to be normally completed in four years of full-time work beyond the Bachelor of Science degree (including summers). The first two years are devoted primarily to formal course work and the last two to research. In view of the flexible program, each student is assigned an adviser who will guide him or her in the selection of courses. By the end of the third semester of graduate study the student must have completed the Ph.D. screening examination. Subsequently, he or she is required to make a tentative major field selection (e.g., biomedical imaging, signal processing, neural engineering) and pass a qualifying examination. In accordance with the requirements of the Graduate School, at least 60 units of credit beyond the Bachelor of Science degree are required, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0. Students are required to take BME 533, the graduate biomedical engineering seminar course, for three semesters during their studies.

Requirements for Admission

Bachelor of Science degree in engineering or a natural science, and satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examinations. Undergraduate work should include a basic course in biology, physics, organic chemistry, biochemistry, differential equations and digital computation. Students lacking any of these will be required to make up the deficiency during the first two years of graduate work.

Students who have completed all requirements for the Master of Science degree offered in this department may apply for admission to the Ph.D. program. In this case, all courses taken in the M.S. program may be applied toward the requirements of the doctoral degree.

Screening Examination Process

By the end of the third semester of graduate study, all students must have completed the screening examination process to determine whether or not they will be allowed to continue in the Doctor of Philosophy program. Those who fail will be dropped from the program, although they may be permitted to complete the additional requirements necessary to obtain the Master of Science degree.

Qualifying Exam Committee

During the third semester, the student must make a tentative major field selection as described above and form a qualifying exam committee. The latter administers the qualifying examination.

Qualifying Examination

The qualifying examination will normally be taken during the fourth semester of full-time academic study. The examination requires the preparation of a comprehensive written research proposal that presents a research question, critically reviews the pertinent literature and outlines the proposed experimental, analytical and computational procedures required to answer the question. The proposal must be defended in an oral examination.

This program offers current second-year USC Ph.D. engineering students and first-year M.D. students an opportunity to learn about and gain experience in medical device and process innovation. Through project-based and interdisciplinary collaboration, students will augment their current programs with a set of courses and lab experiences linking medical and engineering research groups. By applying design-informed approaches toward problem identification and solution prototyping, students will be involved in all the steps of medical device or process innovation from conception to commercialization. The program aims to create interdisciplinary, boundary-spanning, inventive entrepreneurs seeking early practical experience with device and method innovation in health care. Program participants will form bonds with a group of like-minded medical students and engineers who will be their mentors, colleagues and contacts as they advance in their careers.

The courses unique to the program include a seminar sequence (Topics in Health, Technology and Engineering), which must be taken during the first two years of involvement with the HTE@USC program, a case studies sequence taken during the second year and a research course to earn project-related credits:

courses

Units

BME 566abcd

Topics in Health, Technology and Engineering:

2-2-2-2

BME 567ab

Case Studies in Health, Technology and Engineering

1-1

790

Research (in the student’s major department)

2-8

Other required courses that are part of the M.D. curriculum (Ph.D. students enroll in INTD course versions of the same courses open only to HTE students on CR/NC basis):